Boat Repair, Restoration, Building
Tomorrow I’ll depart my humble shop here in Ravenel, South Carolina to head for the Antique Boat Auction in Clayton, NY. I’m taking the 1949 Chris Craft 17 ft. Deluxe Runabout I’ve restored to the auction. It’s listing number 36957. Check it out here. Continue reading “1949 Chris Craft 17 ft. Deluxe Runabout Going to Auction”
Finally! Sea trials are here!
Click here to see a short video of the sea trial.
Eventually, a boat ends up in the water. There are lots of things to check when that happens. Does it float? Does it float level? Does it float anywhere near the design waterline? Does the engine run? Does it steer properly? etc. etc. Continue reading “Sea trials of the 1949 Chris Craft Deluxe Runabout”
After the varnish is laid on, but before the final coat, it’s time to caulk the deck seams. Most of them (2 out of 3) are false seams–only there for show. But every third one is live. It is essential to get a good seal with the seam caulking to prevent leaks and rot. Continue reading “Caulking the Deck Seams”
With all the interior work finished, it’s time to focus on the pretty part. It’s time to finish stripping the hull, repair holes and dings, and stain the hull. All this precedes the varnishing phase. I use the most aggressive chemical stripper I can find (Jasco brand) and let it do the work for me. I slap it on liberally and let it sit there awhile and eat away the old varnish. You can actually hear and see it doing this if you watch closely. Continue reading “Staining the boat”
The engine compartment ventilation holes needed enlarging. For whatever reason, they were seriously undersized according to the plans, and my calculations of what is necessary for that size space.
So, if you already have a hole in the boat, how do you make it bigger? How do you get your hole saw, or your drill bit to center itself on the hole, when there’s nothing there for the pilot bit to bite into? Continue reading “How Do You Enlarge a Hole?”